MEDITATION TO CHANGE THE EGO

Sit in an Easy Pose, with a light jalandhar bandh.

Eyes Fix the eyes on the knuckles of the thumbs. Narrow the eyelids.

Mudra Keep the spine straight and the chest slightly lifted. Relax the arms down at the sides. Raise the hands in front of the centre of the chest at the level of the heart. The palms face toward each other. Curl the fingers into a loose fist. Keep the thumbs extended and point them upwards. Bring the hands toward each other until the top segment of the thumbs touch along the side of the thumbs. The rest of the hands stay separated.

Breath  Bring your concentration to the breath. Create a steady breath rhythm with the following ratio and pathway: Inhale through the nose slowly. The length is about 8 seconds. Hold in the breath for about 8 seconds. Release the breath through the nose in 8 equal strokes. Hold the breath out for 8 seconds. Once this pattern is set, you can gradually increase the time from 8 seconds to as long as you like. If you increase the time, keep the time equal in each section of the pranayam.

Time Begin this practice gradually. Start with 3 minutes. Increase the time to 31 minutes by adding 3-5 minutes per week of practice.

To End At the end of a session, inhale deeply, stretch the hands over the head, and open and close the fists several times. Relax the breath.

Comments

This meditation has many effects. It can be used to combat tension and hypertension. It also creates a deep concentration and a detachment that allows you to observe your attachments. Once you identify your attachments, you can let them go by dis-identifying with them, or by giving the object of attachment to the Infinite, the Cosmos, or God. Sometimes you will hear strong inner sounds such as drums, bells, whistles, etc. Part of this can be due to pressure adjustments in the skull and eardrums. If the sounds develop in deep meditation, it is a normal adjustment of the neurons in the cortex. This phenomenon will pass quickly and should not distract you from the primary focus and process of the meditation.